Our Children, Our Future

Our Children, Our Future

“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be”

I have a very vivid memory of me singing along to the lyrics to Whitney Houston’s 1985 hit, “The Greatest Love of All”. In all the times I sang this song, never did I imagine what it would be like to be an adult with a child – a mother holding the future in my hands. But as much as I am her teacher, she is truly mine. With each new day, she shows me what it is like to see, hear and taste something for the first time, to gaze at black and white outlines as though they are as valuable as Van Gough’s, to smile for seemingly no reason at all, and to sleep despite the chaos in a room.

Most importantly, she has shown me that no child is born with the ability to hate or discriminate another human being based on their religion or the color of their skin. She can only be taught racism, xenophobia, and misogyny. It is our (me and my husband) responsibility to teach her to love and respect herself first, so that she may do the same for others.

They can’t take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

We love her more than we could possibly imagine and know that our love for her will only continue to grow each and every day. But my husband and I are only one part of her village – you are such a significant part of her village – whether you’ve met her or not.

We ALL owe it to ALL our children, our future, to teach and model dignity, decency and respect; to teach and share equality, love, and kindness; and to stand up, speak up, and march and resist peacefully and thoughtfully. They are our future and their future is in our hands.